'Til we meet again

Today marks three years since Papaw passed away, and yet I still walk into Pamaw's house expecting to hear, "Oh, you beautiful doll! You great, big, beautiful doll!"

That was the song he'd sing every time I walked in. (Sorry, Laura. I guess we were both his dolls.) The Sunday before he passed, he got up, dressed, went to church, just like he did every Sunday. At that point in time, he'd been battling cancer for four months. We knew it was bad, we knew it was a matter of time, but the man could still get around. Er...somewhat. He wasn't homebound just yet. But later that week, he slipped into a peaceful coma and passed away late at night the following Sunday. And actually, his nurse didn't get there until just after midnight, so his official death date was Monday, April 26th. Oh, how he liked to make it tricky!

So, here's to you, Papaw! It's the greatest blessing in the world to know we will all be together again one day!

For those that want to hear the song, click here. Truth be told, I'd never heard the song until I looked it up.

Cheaper by the Dozen

Yesterday morning, I awoke early (not uncommon) and watched the movie Cheaper By The Dozen while I got ready for my busy day. It was on TV, I hadn't seen it in awhile, and since I was having some serious Smallville withdrawals, I figured I could curb them by watching Tom Welling as the oldest son in the Baker family. While I did have some major flashbacks to season four of Smallville while watching Welling play football, I had other thoughts while watching the movie, thoughts that almost had me in tears. 

First, if you aren't familiar with the movie CBTD, let me sum it up for you. Steve Martin, Baker dad, gets a new football coaching job that moves his family to a new, suburban place where they just don't fit in. Meanwhile, Bonnie Hunt, Baker mom, publishes a book and goes on tour to promote it, leaving her eleven children at home under the care of their father, who is unfortunately absent most of the time because of his new job. The oldest of the total twelve children lives with her boyfriend and comes to help out (I really don't care for this part of the story). The movie ends with Mom returning, the family coming together to overcome a crisis, and all ends happy.

Yes, the movie has some cheesy parts (it's a kid movie, after all). Yes, the movie is unbelievable in many scenes. But I was entertained throughout. I laughed. I smiled. I enjoyed myself. 

But there's this one scene when Mom realizes she needed to get home to her family, and suddenly the whole point of the movie became clear to me. 

Family is everything.

Dad did everything he could do to provide for his family and be there for his kids when they needed him. While he did the best he could, he needed a partner. He couldn't do it alone. When Mom left, even though it was only for two weeks, the house kind of fell apart. I remember the rare times that my mom was unavailable for some reason or another, and Dad was on dinner duty. Usually this resulted in a quick drive to the nearest KFC or a brief call to Domino's. Our shoes were probably left in the living room, we probably left the TV on too long, but we didn't have anyone to cry to when our day at school was bad, and I certainly didn't have anyone to talk to about the cute boy I was crushing on at the time. Bottom line, we still needed Mom.

Mom was our rock. When she was happy, the house was happy. If she was mad, the house was mad. Funny how one person can be so dynamic. On the more common occasions that Dad was unavailable, Mom would step in to fill his shoes as best she could. We'd still eat  homemade dinners, the house would be a little cleaner, but we wouldn't have a pitcher to hit some softballs with, and we certainly didn't someone to talk about all things Harry Potter. Bottom line, we still needed Dad.

The movie just helped me realize how valuable my mom and my dad are individually. I wish all kids could grow up with parents as talented, well-rounded, funny, and strong as I did, but in today's world, where family is slowly deteriorating, that's not as common as I wish it could be. In fact, I think many problems involving public education could be solved if students could have more support at home (but that's another post for another day). That's why I resolve right now to be the best mom my kids have ever seen. True, I don't have kids yet, but one day I will. And I'll make them put their shoes away, turn the TV off when it's been on too long, make them dinner every night most nights (let's just be honest here - sometimes dinner is just a phone call away), and make sure to kiss their father when I know they're watching. Eric will be there to toss the Frisbee with them (and I'll be there for when he accidentally hits them in the forehead, which will inevitably happen I'm sure), tickle them until happy tears run down their cheeks, talk Avatar: The Last Airbender with them (actually, I'll do that too), and be there for them on the rare occasion I can't be. 

Because that's what parents do, right?

August 1978

January 2013 - Only missing Eric :(

No, no, it's me, not Jack Sparrow.

All I've wanted for three years now is a new strand of pearls. Real pearls. Something to make me feel elegant. 

Not like the strand I bought at Walmart when I was 19 (that I still have). But hey, who knew that $5 investment would last over 7 years? I certainly didn't.  But you know what my sweet husband bought me for Christmas? Yup. You guessed it.

Pens. Multi-colored clicky pens. 

And a sparkling, shiny perfectly polished strand of pearls. Every southern girl's dream! Oh, I looked elegant. I sparkled! I radiated! 'Bless your heart' and 'puttin' on the dog' became much more common phrases around our home. But like all good things, it had to end. I did the unthinkable.

I lost them. 

I still don't like to think of it. I'm still fuming. I only enjoyed those beauties for a month! And I still don't know what happened to them.

Weeks passed. Before I knew it, my birthday warranted another gift-giving extravaganza. After school that day, Eric presented me with another long, narrow white box. I giggled in response. I knew immediately I'd gotten my pearls back!

And I did. BUT. They weren't the right color or size strand. Unbeknownst to me, Eric took them back to surprise me with the kind I really wanted. Just two days ago, he presented me with another white box yet again. When he pulled them out, I gasped in amazement.

THEY. WERE. PERFECT.

I could FINALLY retire my Walmart pearls. Those suckers actually broke years ago, but I jimmy-rigged them to stay hooked. I waited until today to wear the new strand because I had the perfect outfit to wear with them. 

Ladies, you know what I mean. 

I only had them around my neck for 10 seconds when they fell off. Silly me. I must not have clasped it all the way! I put them on again. They fell off again. I put them on...they fell off...

NOOOO!!!!!!!

Not again! Thus, we must venture back to the store to return my pearls. I'm fairly certain the curse of the pearl belongs to me, not Jack Sparrow.

::Sigh:: Until then, I have my good ol' trusty Walmart strands to tide me over. 

Get it for FREE!

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, it is my pleasure to announce that starting tomorrow, April 5th, you can download The Acquisition on your Kindle for FREE!

No, you read it right. For Free!

But this promotion only lasts until Saturday, so that only leaves TWO DAYS to take advantage of this deal.

The reason for this deal is because I've made some pretty major edits to it, and I'd love for those that already purchased the book to read the changes without having to purchase it all over again. Thus, if you haven't bought the book already, you should take advantage!

Happy reading!

P.S. Feel free to leave an awesome (honest) review on Amazon if you'd like. Or follow me on Twitter. Or Like my author page. I'm easy to please.

Let's talk about the elephant in the room.

Truth be told, I don't have anything too profound to blog about about, except that I'm totally stoked about my new book. I've waited over a year for this one! Great series. I prefer this to the original, but that's just my opinion. 

Anyway, I just wanted to show off my new friend. The best part of this picture is that he's smiling too. Sort of. 

I bet he likes my shirt.

Also, a big announcement will be made about The Acquisition sometime this week!

Book recommendation: THE SELECTION

Time for another stellar book recommendation. I was reluctant to pick this title up when I first heard about it (which was only about a month ago - thanks Cindy Hale for asking me if I'd heard of it!), and for good reason. At least, it was a good reason in my opinion. 

See, a couple of years ago, I started a manuscript titled THE NEXT PRINCESS. I was in such a fairy tale mood at the time that I decided to write my own version of a fairy tale. I created my own country/world that was led by a king and queen, and tradition stated that when their prince came of age, he should take a bride from among the people. In a Bachelor-esque style, lucky girls were picked, seemingly at random (but not really), to participate in this competition. My main character, Caroline, was the poor daughter of a farmer who lived Outside the Wall. Prince James, the royal family, and all prominent members of society lived Inside the Wall. 

Anyway, Caroline and Prince James were playmates as little children. Caroline's father was one of the farmers who delivered produce to the palace, and she'd tag along when her father made deliveries. As time passed and she and the prince grew older, they drifted apart for political reasons (none of which were initiated by James). 

Long story short, they were reunited at the competition, sparks flew, drama flared (what do you expect would happen when you round up a bunch of girls in one place), and of course all ended happy.

That was my story.

So when I read about THE SELECTION, I was SO BUMMED. See for yourself:

 For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in the palace and compete for the heart of the gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn't want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she's made for herself- and realizes that the life she's always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

This dystopian version of the US is known as Illea, and when the prince comes of age, the Selection is instituted to pull together 35 girls to compete for the Prince Maxon's hand.

Hey, at least mine wasn't a dystopian...

But seriously...how HAPPY I am that I picked this up! It was fast-paced, the boys were totally dreamy, the antics of girls crazed at obtaining the crowd made me laugh out loud. I found myself waiting to get home from school so I could find out what came next. I haven't read a book like that in a long time. 

So, even though THE NEXT PRINCESS will never see the light of day, I'm extremely happy THE SELECTION did. The next book in the series, THE ELITE, will be out in April, and I also heard that the CW has a pilot episode based on this series. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it makes it to TV. 

To learn more about the series and its author, click here.

Birthdays

In order to raise birthday awareness (mine of course), I'm going to briefly mention one of the BEST birthdays ever. 

I said briefly.

*I was living in Las Vegas doing my student teaching. I only knew one person in the giant city.

Brooke, you totally saved me that semester. I am still indebted to you!

*I was SICK AS A DOG. One of the worst illnesses I'd ever had. And it lasted well over a month.

*Planning a wedding 2000 miles from home and 800 miles from my main squeeze was so emotionally taxing.

*My birthday rolls around, and Mom says she timed her gift to arrive exactly on my birthday. That was the only silver lining of the day.

*I checked the mail. Mom screwed up. No package. Tears ensued.

*I was lonely, poor, and so sick. Now present-less.

*Brooke and her husband took me to dinner on the strip in Vegas. Turns out, that's where my present showed up. Click here to see it all unfold!

Moms and husbands give the best presents! Love you both!